New QOF targets focus on physical health of patients with mental health problems

GPs may be asked to adopt new quality indicators to ensure better physical health for people with mental health problems, under new proposals from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

On 3 August NICE published its latest set of proposals for indicators that will be the subject of imminent negotiations for the 2016-17 Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)—the voluntary incentive scheme that rewards general practices for implementing improvements in the quality of care.1

NICE’s proposals include new indicators alongside updates to existing indicators.

New indicators have been developed to identify:

People with severe mental illness who have a high risk of cardiovascular disease

Patients with a new diagnosis of depression or anxiety disorder, to ensure …